A Spell that Crosses Time
by MelChama
Summary: He watched over her, protected her, and now, he casts a spell on her for her happiness as she floats past his sea of time and onto a new segment of her life. Follows the movie timeline closely. One-shot. Strictly Gin and Hotaru.


Title: A Spell that Crosses Time

Rating: K+

Pairing: Hotaru and Gin

A/N: I personally think this series is one of the best short pieces ever. For those who have not watched it yet, please do; it may change your life. Oh, and, uh, I haven't written fan fiction in quite a long time, so _please_, _please_ tell me everything that is wrong with this. Or just tell me that this is wrong. Yeah.

Warning: Please note that this fan fiction is full of spoilers and those who do not wish to have the movie spoiled for them should watch the movie first.

* * *

Gin watched as the brown-haired human cried and wrapped herself in a fetal position. Lost children weren't common in this forest since the villagers spread terrifying stories about the "demons" that will hunt and decapitate lost souls.

He sighed and returned to observing the human girl. _Demons_, eh? His eyes glazed over and his head drooped.

_What does that make me? One who defied fate…one who was never supposed to exist…_

_Monster, human, or…_

The soft wails of the child jolted him out of his ponderings and focused his attention to his current situation.

What to do with a lost child?

"Hey, you."

He didn't know what made him call out to the child, but it wasn't as if he could take his words back, so he continued on.

That turned out to be the strangest but the greatest decision he had ever made.

From the very beginning he had taken a liking to the girl. She was honest, innocent, and discip–not really, but she was a good kid, all-in-all. And so to his surprise, she did return to the shrine the next day and even presented him with popsicles. They walked and talked (or well, she kept the conversation alive most of the time) and he had to admit it was a great day.

She soon left, but not without a promise of next summer.

The first year he hadn't thought much about. He wasn't sure whether she would keep her promise and honestly, he was scared that the child might let words slip and he might even lose his home (Yamagami-sama would _so_ mad).

And so he made a bet with himself; if she comes again, then she would have his full trust. If not…then he'll live in peace again without anymore disturbances.

But as fate had it, she returned.

Seasons flashed by and before he knew it, he was thinking of her all the time, during fall, winter, spring, and summer. He spent his days in a daydream, causing many of his friends in the forest to become worried, but every time they confronted him, he'd just smile meekly and continued to walk around in circles. Then came the day when Hotaru came to him in her junior uniform. He offhandedly made a casual comment about her feminism, but in reality, he was having a panic attack on the inside.

He was terrified.

He had never wanted to touch someone so badly, never wanted to see someone so badly, never wanted to kiss someone so badly. He strongly desired to be able to hold her hand and pull her into his embrace.

He was in love.

It was then when he first began to curse his luck; he was given a chance to live but he would never be able to be with the person he love.

Yet she managed to surprise him again when she told him that she planned to look for work in the area so she could be with him. No one ever had such an important place in his heart. _No_ one ever wanted to sacrifice so much to be with him. _No_ one could give him what he needed except for this selfless, loving girl. So after she left that day, he cried. He fell to his knees in front of his precious meeting place with Hotaru and cried to his heart's desire. Unbeknownst to Gin, the forest demons and even Yamagami-sama watched. Watched as their beloved child wept painfully and openly for his beloved.

He wept and wept, years of solitude falling from his eyes and trailing down his cheeks. He cried until his voice was hoarse and began choking on his pain. A demon, friend of Gin, ran to Gin and tried calming the boy down. Yet as the demon tried to pat Gin's back, his hand passed through thin air before he tried again and successfully calmed Gin. The demons did not register the revelation that Yamagami-sama had understood: Gin's spell was weakening.

While Gin's tears slowed, Yamagami-sama panicked and gathered the demons together in a group to discuss the situation. But it was soon understood that nothing could be done; not even a god had the power to give lasting life to a being that was destined to die.

The girl left at the end of the summer, and Yamagami-sama broke the news to Gin, who smiled softly and shook his head when Yamagami-sama offered to delay the process. He reasoned that it was time, and that he wouldn't be able to stand living such a life anyways. Every time she left, he felt like as if it would be another millennium before he would be able to see her smiling face again. Gin bowed to Yamagami-sama and whispered a sincere "thank you" before walking away much more lightheartedly than before.

Some summers later, he took her to the Demon's Festival. He was still afraid to have her there, but with time slipping away faster than ever, he decided that it would be fine, because he'd protect her no matter what. And so when she was tying the cloth to her wrist and joked about the night being a date, he teased her right back.

"It _is_ a date."

Her cheeks transitioned from a light complexion to a tint of rose and at that second, he realized that if he continued staring, he'd probably end his life right then and there just to hold those pink, beautiful cheeks and stare into her deep eyes. So, having the greatest poker face in the world, he gently led her into the festival. The night flew right by and soon it was getting _really_ late and so they decided that it would be better for Hotaru to go home.

Though the festival was over, he couldn't bring himself to untie the simple piece of white cloth that connected her to him; he decided that he wouldn't untie it until she asked, because this link was the only thing holding his fears back. She was the only being keeping him alive.

As he walked on, he became more and more conscious of her loving aura and finally, he took off his mask, slipped it onto her face, and kissed her.

It's the closest thing to a touch I can give her, he thought.

Everything was going well; he had told her that this would most likely be the last summer, and had understood that she reciprocated his feelings. That was, until the two children came in.

It was a surprise; he had thought that he'd just disappear into thin air one coming day, but of course nothing goes the way he wants it to. And yet, while he was terrified, he also saw this as the one and last chance.

"Come, Hotaru! I can finally touch you…"

And he felt it. Her warm skin, her racing heartbeat, and her jovial smile, yet bitter tears full of despair threatened to fall from her wide eyes. He gripped her tightly, savoring the warmth that radiated from her body and her whisper of his name. As the rest of his body disintegrated into bright light, he put his lips to her ear and whispered a spell…

_I love you_.

…a spell that would carry on over the sea of time and protect her, forever.

* * *

Okay, shoot.  
How bad was that?

I tried to make that piece of cloth a symbol because I noticed that it was never untied. She'll continue to love him as long as she lives.

Or that's how I wish it would be.

The mask is another symbol; it's a shield and a "weapon." I don't know any other word, but you get the gist of it, right?

So yeah. Just another drabble. I loved the movie, and I really hope you watch it.


End file.
